In a perfect world...

My friends have said,

• why don't you ever talk about your problems? Your life must be perfect.

I personally interpret this as them believing it is true, that they assume that it is true, that nothing I can teach them is applicable to their problems.

Others say,

• nothing good happens to me. My life is horrible. The only reason I am still standing is because of this, or that.

• Nothing good happens to me, so this can't be happening.

My friend who I'll leave unnamed explained it this way

• "We each deal with different things in different ways. I wish you the best of luck really" 

Another friend explained it

• "Its really no big deal. Different strokes for different folks. I have my beliefs that work for me and you have yours that work for you :)"

I'm not going to deny the fact that people don't see what I suffer through, that my trust isn't always in the right place, and that I TOO am intimidated by other Christians who's lives seem flawless. But what example would we be setting living for Christ if our flaws were blatantly obvious for all to see? 
Personally, I agree and disagree with the last statement. I find the best speakers the one's that I can relate to, the one's that share their burdens and show how God got them through each battlefield. That's why people who have had 360 life changes become motivational speakers... because their lives have to be relatively worse than ours, don't they?


When I speak faith to people, faith in Jesus Christ, I am exposing myself, my heart. Every time I stand up against someone for Christ, I am hoping to see change that gives me the strength to continue. Giving more than people want to hear stresses me out, but when was Jesus not stressed for us? Didn't he suffer through every trial for us? Jesus was a gift to us, but do we ever look at our lives as a trial of faith for Him?


I, like everyone else, can live every day believing I am not good enough. I, like everyone else, can mope about leaving everyone I love for a career. But does that change anything? No, it just adds to the stress. When I lean on God, I am fearless. 


I know from experience that I hate when people say... Satan is manipulating you, but really, if you looked at every choice you made, how many of them would Jesus have made to the same end?

1 Peter 1:6-7

In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, that proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

If you think about your past experiences, what has or hasn't bettered you? What has or hasn't made you stronger? Is it easier for you to block out God and trust no one?

 Matthew 13:14 You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes.Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears,understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.


In Kay Arthur's book "Lord Only You Can Change Me" (which, admittedly I was lent over a year ago and am finally getting to the end of it because I too, didn't want to hear what it had to say because it is sometimes easier to resist change and stay angry) I have learned so much of the sufferings of Christians. 

Haralan Popov wrote about communism terrorizing believers in attempt of destroying the Christian faith:

"As the fires of persecution grew, they burned away the chaff and stubble and left only the golden wheat. The suffering purified the church and united the believers in a wonderful spirit of brotherly love such as must have existed in the early church. Petty differences were put aside. Brethren loved and cared for one another and carried one another's burdens. There were no nominal or 'lukewarm' believers" (Popov in Arthur 217)

So, I might ask, why can't we lean on each other and share each other's burdens? Why do we fight to compete instead of embracing each other? Why do we have to do it alone? 
The answer is, 
We don't have to do it alone. But when we suffer our own grievances instead of giving them over to God, we can't embrace our sisters and brothers in Christ who need us most. What if God allowed Satan to take away from us the one thing that was holding us together? Who would we lean on then?

This is my prayer...

Ephesians 3:16-21

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,  so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,  may have power, together with all the Lord’s people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.